Rose plant named ‘Te Jiao’

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of rose, ‘Te Jiao’, characterized by its upright, climbing habit, semi-glossy green foliage, its semi-double pink flowers, its repeat blooming habit even through hot weather, its disease resistance, and its vigorous growth habit with minimal seed production.

Botanical classification: Rosa hybrida.

Variety denomination: ‘Te Jiao’.

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

This application is co-pending with a U.S. Plant Patent Applicationfiled for a plant derived in the Inventors' breeding program that isentitled Rose Plant Named ‘Te Qiao’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser.No. 12/804,228).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Rosahybrida. The new rose will be referred to hereafter by its cultivarname, ‘Te Jiao’. ‘Te Jiao’ is a climbing rose suitable for landscapeplantings.

The new cultivar of climbing rose is a selection from a controlledbreeding program conducted by the Inventors in Beijing, China with afocus on creating rose cultivars that perform well and bloomcontinuously in the hot summers in the northern region of China and alsoexhibit minimal seed production.

The new variety, ‘Te Jiao’, arose from a cross made in Beijing, China in2005 between the female parent, ‘Dortmund’ (not patented) and the maleparent, ‘Beilinhong’ (not patented). ‘Te Jiao’ was selected by theInventors as a single unique plant from the resulting seedlings in May,2006.

The new cultivar was first asexually propagated by the Inventors usingsoftwood stem cuttings in Beijing, China in November, 2006. Asexualpropagation using stem cuttings and tissue culture has determined thatthe characteristics of this cultivar are stable and are reproduced trueto type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent thecharacteristics of the new rose as observed in Beijing, China. Theseattributes in combination distinguish ‘Te Jiao’ as a unique cultivar ofclimbing rose.

-   -   1. ‘Te Jiao’ exhibits semi-double flowers that are pink in        color.    -   2. ‘Te Jiao’ blooms continuously from April to November, even        through hot summer weather.    -   3. ‘Te Jiao’ produces very few to no seeds.    -   4. ‘Te Jiao’ exhibits semi-glossy green foliage.    -   5. ‘Te Jiao’ exhibits an upright climbing habit.    -   6. ‘Te Jiao’ exhibits vigorous growth with very good disease        resistance.    -   7. ‘Te Jiao’ can overwinter under natural conditions in Beijing,        China.

The new cultivar of climbing rose can be readily distinguished from itsparents. The female parent, ‘Dortmund’, has smaller single flowers thatare red in color, lacks the ability to sustain flower production duringhot summer months, and produces abundant clusters of fruit. The maleparent, ‘Beilinhong’, has smaller double red flowers, exhibits a shrubhabit, produces numerous seeds, and has foliage that is non-glossy. ‘TeJiao’ can also be most closely compared to a cultivar from the samebreeding program, ‘Te Qiao’, which is similar in its vigor, longblooming habit under hot summer conditions, lack of seed production anddisease resistance. ‘Te Qiao’ differs from ‘Te Jiao’ in having singlered-purple flowers and in having a shrub growth habit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceand distinct characteristics of three year-old plants of the new rose,‘Te Jiao’, as grown outdoors in a field on its own roots.

FIG. 1 provides a view of the flowers of ‘Te Jiao’ and

FIG. 2 provides a view of plant parts of ‘Te Jiao’ with labels; 1: uppersurface of flower, 2: lower surface of flower, 3: receptacle, 4:reproductive organs and sepals, 5: upper surface of petal, 6: flowerbud, 7 and 9: upper surface of leaf, 8: lower surface of leaf and youngstem.

The colors in the photographs are as close as possible with digitalphotography techniques available, the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description accurately describe the colors of the new rose.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new cultivar as observedon 3 year-old plants as field grown in Beijing, China. Growingconditions had an average temperature of 25.8 to 24.4° C. withtemperatures ranging between 12.3 and 39.6° C. and average precipitationduring the months of July and August of 196.6 to 243.5 mm. The phenotypeof the new cultivar may vary with variations in environmental, climatic,and cultural conditions, as it has not been tested under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The color determination is in accordance withThe 2001 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

-   General description:    -   -   Blooming habit.—Repeat blooming from last week of April to            mid November.        -   Plant habit.—Climbing, upright.        -   Height and spread.—Averaging 2 m in height and 1 m in            spread.        -   Cold hardiness.—Can be overwintered under natural conditions            in Beijing, China.        -   Diseases and pests.—Good resistance to disease and pests.        -   Propagation.—Stem cuttings and tissue culture.        -   Growth.—Vigorous.-   Branch description:    -   -   Stem color.—Young and maturing; 145A suffused with 183D,            mature wood; 146A.        -   Stem surface.—Smooth.        -   Stem size.—Average of 4 mm in width, up to 2 m in length.        -   Internode.—Average of 5 cm.        -   Thorns.—8 per 10 cm of stem, 4 mm in length, 138B in color.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Leaves.—Division is odd-pinnate, arrangement is alternate,            average of 13.0 cm in length and 6.5 cm in width.        -   Leaflets.—Ranging from 3 to 7, most frequently 7, elliptic            in shape, obtuse base, acuminate apex, ciliate margins,            weakly crenulate, upper surface and lower surface            semi-glossy and glabrous, average of 3.5 cm in length and            2.5 cm in width, color: young leaves upper surface; 141A,            young leaves lower surface: 145A, mature leaves upper            surface; 139A, mature leaves lower surface; 138B.        -   Venation.—Pinnate, 183D in color on upper and lower surface.        -   Rachis.—Average of 11 cm in length and 1 to 1.5 mm in            diameter, color of upper surface 138A suffused with 183D in            younger tissue.        -   Stipules.—Color on upper side 139C suffused with 183D, color            of lower surface is 138B.        -   Petioles.—Average of 1 mm in length and 1 mm in diameter,            surface glabrous, 183D in color.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   Inflorescence type.—Single to corymbs of up to 4 semi-double            flowers.        -   Flower number.—3 to 12 flowers per lateral stem, 1 to 7            flower buds per lateral stem, 3 to 21 flowers per plant.        -   Flower fragrance.—Moderately scented.        -   Flower longevity.—About 7 days, self-cleaning.        -   Flower type.—Semi-double, round, held upright.        -   Flower size.—Average of 6 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm in            depth.        -   Peduncles.—Upright, average of 4.0 cm in length and 1.0 to            1.5 cm in diameter, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, 143C in            color.        -   Bracts.—None observed.        -   Flower buds.—Ovate in shape, an average of 1.5 cm in length            and 1.1 cm in width prior to opening, 61D in color.        -   Sepals.—6, lanceolate, margin weakly foliaceous appendages            on 3 of the 6 sepals with stipitate glands, average of 1.8            cm in length and 7.0 mm in width, acute apex, truncate base            fused with receptacle, color of lower and upper surface            143C.        -   Petals.—12 to 15 per flower, drop readily and cleanly,            obcordate in shape, upper and lower surface smooth, margin            crenulate, base broadly cuneate in shape, apex is rounded            with indented notch, an average of 3.6 cm in length and 2.5            cm in width, color: opening flowers; upper surface 66C and            lower surface 65A, fully open flowers; upper surface 66D and            lower surface 65B, color retained until petal drop.        -   Receptacle.—Average of 5 mm in diameter and 6 mm in depth            when flower is fully open, urn-shaped, glabrous surface,            150C in color.        -   Pistils.—About 30 per flower, 3 mm in length, stigma is an            average of 1 mm in length and 0.4 mm in width and 158B in            color, style is an average of 3 mm in length and 158C in            color, ovary is inferior, oblong-globose in shape and 143B            in color.        -   Stamens.—About 100 to 110 per flower, filaments are about 5            to 10 mm in length and 9C in color, anthers are an average            of 1.0 to 1.5 mm in length and 9B in color, pollen is            moderate in quantity and near 12C in color.        -   Hips.—None were observed to form to date prior to the frost            date in Beijing, China.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of rose plant named ‘Te Jiao’ as hereinillustrated and described.